Electric carrier system.



S. H. LIBBY.

ELECTRIC CARRIER SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 1,1906.

Patented Jan. 26, 1909.

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' Sam H.Libb by M invencor;

UNITED sTATEs MTENT osrllon SAM H. LIBBY, OF EAST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO SPRAGUE ELliCTRiUUOMT'AM, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

ELECTRIC CARRIER SYSTEM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 26, 1909.

Application filed. August 1, 1906. Serial No. 828,718.

To all whom may concern:

. Be it known that I, SAM H. LIBBY, a citiresiding at East zen of'the United States, Orange, county of Essex, State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful 1m rovements in Electric Carrier Systerns, which the following is a specification. The present invention relates to elec trically-gropelled carriers for operation on overhea run-ways as a telpher, and has for its object to system where y a load may be raised or lowered ata given station, and then transferred to another station without requiring the attendance of the operator between stations, there to be lowered or raised, and the carrier again returned to the first or so ding station.

e present invention in its various aspects will be more fully understood and its objects and advantages will more clearly appear from the following description there- 0 taken in connection with the accompanying drawing whichv shows diagrammatically an electrical cqui ment of a carrier and a preferred form 0 distribution system between a sending and four unloading stations.

Reference being had to the drawing, L and L indicate current-supplying mains, and 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 are trolley wires or conductors connectin the several stations together. The con uctors 1 to 4, inclusive, are continuous throughout their length, while the conductor 5 is made up of a section 6 at the sending station, a main section 7 between the sending station and the first receiving station, and sectio s 8, 9, 10 and 11 arranged at the receiving stations. 1,.hc various sections of conduct 1. 5 are insulated from each other. Cond tor 3 and section 7 of conductorfi are electrically connected to line L. Conductor 4 is connected to line L. Conductor 1 is normally dead, but may be connected to line L by means of a normally'open push-button 12 at the sending stationfor similar push-buttons 13, 14,

15 and 16 at the receivim stations.

Conductor 2 is also normally ilcad but may be connected to line L through either of the normally open push-buttons or switches 17, 18, 19, 20 and 20 located respectively at the several stations. Similarly, sections 6, 8, 9, 10 and 11 are normall dead but may be connected to line L tlirougli the respective rovide a simple and reliable push-buttons 21, 22, 23, 24 and 25. Sections 8, 9, and 10 may also be connected to line L by means of the switches 26, 27 and 28, adapted to be operated in any suitable manner, as for example, by,means of re as, said ropes ha ing down within reach 0 an operator on t e floor or ground. At the sending station .there is arranged a fixed stop 29 and there is a similar stop 30 at station 11. sections 8, 9, and 10 are stops 31,32 and 33, respectively, which may conveniently be associated with the switches 26, 27 and 28 so as to be capable of operation in unison therewith.

The carrier equipment is illustrated as comprisin%4a traverse motor M and a hoisting motor R being a reversing switch for the traverse motor, and R a reversing switch for 'the hoist motor. are illustrated as series motors the reversing switches are of usual types arranged to change the relative connections between the field and armature windings of their respective motors in order to reverse the direction of rotation of the motors; the switch R be ing illustrated as of the cylinder type and the switch R of the electromagnetic type comprising interlocked solenoid switches. The carrier is provided with five current-collecting devices 34, 35, 36, 37 and 38 adapted to run upon the trolley wires 1, 2, 3, i and 5, respectively.

Assuming the carrier to be at rest at the sending station, the bucket or hook controlled by the hoisting motor may be raised and lowered b pressing the buttons 12 and 17, respective y. When the button 12 is ressed, current fiows from line L throu h this button, to trolley wire 1, through tie current-collector 34, through the actuating coil 39 of one member of the reversing switch B, through the interlock 40 of the other member of the reversing switch R, to ourrent-collector 37 and trolley wire 4, and thence to line L. Thus the solenoid 39 is energized and its core 41 is raised. Current may now be traced from line L, through trolley wire 3, current-collector 36, contacts 42 and 43 of the reversing switch, armature of motor M, contacts 44 and 45 of the reversing ,At the stations adjacent the.

Since the two motors proper direction to raise the load, and corn tinues to do so until the push-button is rcleased and the solenoid-39 deenergized. To lower the load, push-button 17 is closed, and current then flows from line L, through this push-button to trolley wire, through currentcollector 35, to the second solenoid 46 of the reversing switch R, through interlock 47 associated with the core ofsolenoid 39 to our-- rent-eollector 37, trolley wire 4;, and thence to line L. The solenoid 46, being thus energiZed, lifts the core 48 and a circuit may be L, trolley wire 3, current-collector 36, contacts 49 and 50 of the reversing switch, armature of the hoisting motor, contacts 51 and 52 of the reversing switch, field of the hoisting motor, and thence through currentcollector 37 and trolley wire 4, back to line L. The load is now lowered and the lowering operation continues as long as the pushbutton 1-? is held closed.

When it is desired to start the carrier toward one of the receiving stations, the button 21 at the sending station is depressed, and current then flows from line L to push button 21, trolley section 6, current-collector 38, through the reversing switch R and motor M to current-collector 37, trolle wire 4, back to line L. The motor M now egins to rotate in the direction to move the carrier away from the sending station. As soon as current-collector 38 emerges from section 6 upon section 7, the push-button 21 may be released and the carrier will continue in operation by reason of the section 7 being connected directly to line L independently of the push-buttons.

If it is desired to cause the carrier to stop at the first receiving station, namely, that station adjacent section 8, the switch 26 and stop 31 are brought into the position shown, whereby section Sis deenergized and when the carrier enters thereon causes the current to the traverse motor to be interrupted and this motor to stop. Shortly before the carrier comes to rest an arm 2 upon the reversing switch R strikes against the stop 31, and as the carrier proceeds, the reversing switch is thrown in the opposite position from that shown, namely, to sue 1 position that when current 15 again supplied to the traverse motor the carrier is moved back toward the sending station. By means of push-buttons 18 and 13 the load may be lowered and raised and by i the push-button 22 the section 8 may be ener'gized and the carrier started back toward the loading station. When the sending station is reached, the currentcollector 38 enters once more upon the dead section 6, de-

priving the traverse motor of current, and the arm 1- of the reversing switch engages with stop 29 to effect the operation of the reversing switch to the position shown, namely to that position wherein the motor is ready when supplied with current to cause the car nor to proceed again toward the receiving stations.

If it is desired to cause the ('ullior to move beyond section 8, as, for eknulple. lo sit-(lion 10, then the switch 26 is (hm-d and the the current collector S enters upon the sectraced through the hoisting motor from line tron 10 and the traverse motor M is no longer supplied with current. Just before the carrier stops, the stop 33 engages the arm 1' and the reversing switch R is thrown to its opposite position. The load may be lowered and raised by manipulating the push-buttons 20 and 15 and the carrier may be startcdback towards the loading station by closing the push-button 24 exactly asexplained above in connection with the first receiving station.

By closing switches 26, 27 and 28 the carrier may he made to traverse the entire distance to the final station where the circuit is interrupted on section 11 and the reversing switch operated by means of stop 30. Energization o the hoisting and transfer motors may be controlled at the last receiving station by means of the push-buttons 16, 20 and 25 in the same manner as at the other stations.

It will be seen that the system is adapted j for o ration connection with any desired own or of stations; the switches at the sev- 'eral stations being identical in grou ing so ing to the switches 26, 27 and 28 are shown at the sending station and at the extreme receiving station for the reason that it is unnecessary to havathe sections 6 and 11 energized except through the ush-buttons, and it is furthermore preferaiile to have fixed stops at these latter stations in order that the carrier ma not over-run. f

Althoug I have described in detail only the best form of my invention now known to me the invention is not limited to the particular arrangement shown, but its scope is indicated in the appended claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

1. In a carriersystem, a plurality of stations, a trolley conductor having an isolated section at each of said stations, a carrier adapted to travel between said stations, a propelling motor on said carrier arranged to receive current from said trolley conductor, a switch at each station for connecting the adjacent isolated section to the sou rce of supply, a reversing switch for said propelling motor carried by said carrier, and a stop located at each station and moving with said first named switch for throwing said reversing switch when said first named switch is open.

2. In a carrier system, a plurality of stations, a trolley conductor having an isolated section at each of said stations, a motordriven earrier adapted to travel between stutions and to receive current from said trolley conductor, a switch at each station for oouneetint the adjacent section to the souree of supply, NHE'LHS at each station for rovers in; the Co i'rier motor when the ((H'lGwl'JtIlUilllg switch is open, and a seeond sivitoh at each station for energizing the adjacent section inilepein'lentl) of the first switeh.

3. In a carrier system, a plurality of stetions, trolley conductors including a conduetor having; an isolated section at each station, a rarrier ado ted to travel between sent stations, a prope ing motor and a hoist-- iin: motor on said carrier, current collectors on saul earner for connecting said motors to saul trolley emuluetors, means at each tn tion independent of said trolley conductors for reversing the propelling motor. meansfor energizing said isolated sections at will, illltl switches at eaeh station for energizing eer tum of the said conductors to cause the llUiit/iilg motor to operate in either direction at will.

4. In a carrier system, a plurality of statrons, trolley conductors including a eondurtor having an isolatei'l section ate-ooh station extending between said stations, a earner adapted to travel between said stations, a propelling motor and a hoisting sections, and :UltliiiiOHzll means at said latter stntiom tor energizing tlllll (lel'nergizing said seetions at will.

:3. ln it earlier system, a plurality of stations, trolley c-oinluetors including a, (oniluetor having on isolated section at each station exteinling between saiil stations, a Carrier adapted to travel between said stalions, a propelling motor and a hoisting motor on said earlier, reversing switohos on said earrier tor said motors, means at certain o! saiel stations for (lei nergizing the arijaeent (HtltlliClOi' seetious and for operating the reversing switch for the propelling motor when the earlier enters upon said sections, ii](7Hl,\ at emu latter stations for energizing and ileenei; Zing said sections at will, eleetromagnetie artouting-means for the hoistlint-Muriel ierersing-switeh, trolley eonduc tors [om-out roiling mid actuatingmeans, and means at each station for energizing or (leenergizing suiil latter conductors at will.

ln witne s nilereoi, l have hereunto set my llitlltl this 24- (lay of July, 1906.

SAM ll. LIBBY.

itnesses i liionxn A. lucim', Trzannxen J. llnvinn. 

